Around the World

Barak works at peace with Sharon

JERUSALEM - A column of Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers rolled into the Gaza Strip and exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen yesterday, a day of renewed clashes that left five Palestinians dead and dozens wounded.

Amid the turmoil, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met Ariel Sharon, leader of the hawkish Likud party, in an attempt to forge a coalition government.

No immediate agreement was reported.

In Gaza, the Karni road junction resembled a battlefield with acrid smoke from burning tires darkening the air and tanks moving along the road, their occasional fire punctuating the sound of assault-rifle rounds.

The army said it sent the armored column to secure free movement of Jewish settlers on the key road, which cuts through the strip and has been the site of violent Palestinian protests.

The tanks responded to fire from Palestinian police by shooting from mounted machine guns, the military said.

A 14-year-old boy and a 31-year-old man were killed, medics said. At least 25 people were injured overall in Gaza.

USS Cole towed to Norway for repair

ADEN, Yemen - Sailors aboard the USS Cole stood at attention as the national anthem played and the battered destroyer glided out of Aden port yesterday, towed by tugboats to a Norwegian heavy-lift ship that will take it home to repair the gaping hole in its side.

For the sailors, the departure meant leaving behind the harbor where 17 shipmates were killed and 39 were injured on Oct. 12.